We go to our local butcher and ask for lean scraps and sometimes they'll have some on hand to sell to us for a cheap price. We also add canned sardines/salmon (in water, no salt), raw eggs, raw meaty bones (chicken backs, necks, legs, pork ribs, neck), chicken hearts and gizzards, and the occasional liver or kidney snack. Frequently check the meat section for meat on sale or quick sale (30%-50% off). Our dogs also enjoy greek yogurt occasionally as well (I buy it for myself).

And I'm pretty sure there are some better foods out there that are the same price as Iams. I'm not from the US but I'm sure someone else can chime in.

Our low cost speuter clinic requires blood work depending on breed or the age of the animal. They also include post-op pain meds. We've taken all our cats and 3 of our dogs to the speuter clinic here in Barrie, Ontario and have never, ever had a problem. I guess it depends on the clinic but I would always choose and recommend the ones near me.

We always wait until our dogs are fully mature. Usually they go through 1 or 2 heats. Heats are fairly easy to manage if she's not around intact males (it gets annoying with those persistent buggers). Dog panties will be your best friend for preventing blood and dog goo getting all over the house. Charlie was a year and a half and our German Shepherd was two when they were spayed.

I know how you feel. ): I wish I knew back then what I know now for our family's late Maltese. She had so many health issues and ended up with Periodontal Disease despite using water additives and feeding her dry food ('cause you know that kibble cleans teeth )... She died from kidney failure at 12 years old. I feel like she could have lived so much longer and healthier had she been fed raw or homecooked. She was fed cheap grocery store food. ):

Her male counterpart is still with us and luckily he's greatly benefited from a better diet. His teeth were borderline periodontal disease state and now they don't even look bad thanks to raw. He's 13 and doesn't even look or act his age anymore.

"Types of Vegetables:
For feeding dogs, I will divide vegetables into two categories. These will be starchy and non-starchy vegetables. They are also called high glycemic (sugars) and low glycemic. For dogs, we generally like to stick to the non starchy varieties. High sugar vegetables can cause weight gain, gas, yeast problems and larger stool volume.